Story by
Detroit Tigers' Parker Meadows ruled out until late May after joining 60-day injured list
- Story by
- Detroit Tigers' Parker Meadows ruled out until late May after joining 60-day injured list
The Detroit Tigers placed center fielder Parker Meadows on the 60-day injured list Monday evening to create room for new outfielder Manuel Margot on the 40-man roster.
That's a big deal.
Meadows — who has been sidelined since late February with a lingering musculocutaneous nerve issue — isn't eligible to play in MLB games for the Tigers until May 26, meaning his absence will be more than 90 days total.
Advertisement
He hasn't played since Feb. 22 in spring training.
ANOTHER INJURY: Wenceel Pérez injury update: Tigers outfielder out for one month with back injury
Meadows, 25, still hasn't been cleared to throw.
He recently underwent a nerve conduction test in Phoenix and was prescribed at least one more month of rest , which means he won't throw a baseball until late April, at the earliest.
By placing Meadows on the 60-day injured list, the Tigers won't be able to count on him in MLB games until late May, at the earliest. There's no timetable for his return, but he is guaranteed to miss the first 54 games on the schedule.
Parker Meadows of the Detroit Tigers slides home to score against the Houston Astros in the second inning during Game 1 of the wild-card series between the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 in Houston.
That's 33.3% of the season.
Advertisement
"If we can utilize that time for all other parts of his body, we're hoping that's an advantage," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said Saturday morning. "Because he's not shut down from anything else — it's strictly about the throwing."
[ MUST LISTEN: Make "Days of Roar" your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast, available anywhere you listen to podcasts ( Apple , Spotify ) ]
The Tigers had been counting on Wenceel Pérez to replace Meadows as the primary center fielder, especially against right-handed pitchers. However, the plan changed on Monday evening when the Tigers ruled Pérez out for at least one month due to lower back inflammation . Fellow outfielder Matt Vierling is also sidelined with a right shoulder strain , but there's no timetable for his return.
As a result of the outfield injuries, the Tigers signed outfielder Manuel Margot — an option in center field against left-handed pitchers — to a one-year, $1.3 million contract Sunday morning, but the signing happened before the Pérez injury.
Advertisement
Without Pérez, the Tigers lack a primary center fielder against right-handed pitchers with just three days until Thursday's Opening Day against the Los Angeles Dodgers .
"This isn't permanent," Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said before Monday's exhibition game against the Giants in San Francisco . "These guys are going to be back. All three of our center fielders are going to be back and healthy and performing this season."
NERVY ISSUE: MLB doctor explains when Tigers' Parker Meadows could return from nerve issue
The loss of Meadows for the first 54 games puts a dent in the Tigers' chances of returning to the postseason in 2025, considering he was the spark throughout last year's magical 31-11 run to snap a decade-long playoff drought.
Advertisement
Meadows emerged as the everyday center fielder, as well as the leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers.
In 2024, the Tigers were 49-26 when Meadows started and 33-11 when he recorded a hit. He combined elite defense in center field with elite speed on the bases, all while hitting .299 with an .857 OPS over his final 50 games after returning from Triple-A Toledo with a swing change.
Although Meadows was one of the Tigers' most valuable players in 2024, the Tigers will have to find a way to survive without him for at least the first 54 games of the 2025 season.
It doesn't help that both Vierling and Pérez are sidelined, too.
Advertisement
"It's all about, how do we come up with the right strategy in the interim to win as many games as we can until we get healthy and get to full strength?" Harris said. "We're going to have to leverage what we believe is a really talented pitching staff, and we're going to have to protect that pitching staff with defense."
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple , Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts .
This story was updated to add a gallery.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Parker Meadows injury update: Detroit Tigers CF ruled out until May
